An Accidental Summer
by thelightningstrike
Summary: Love is often mistaken for loathing, so sometimes when you're looking for it, it's hard to realise it's something you already have. Albus Potter centric, part of my Treading Water collection. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Gah, I'm starting something new. And it's Next Gen. It's Albus centric, and deals with him finding out that love can so often be mistaken for loathing. Characters you may not recognise: Sophie Macmillan, my O.C (Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones daughter) and Kate Jordan (Lee Jordan and Alicia Spinnet's daughter) and also Emma, Alice and Greg Longbottom (three guesses for whose kids they are). Yeah, that should cover it, and if there's anyone else you can probably work it out by surname.

**Prologue**

_September 2__nd__, 2019_

Albus woke up to the sound of deep snoring and sat up slowly. It was very early- Richard's snores usually stopped around five. Albus checked his watch, yes, it was ten past four. Brilliant, he thought sarcastically. Mind you, he wasn't surprised. He always woke up early on his first morning at Hogwarts; had done even since his first day five years ago. He decided to get up; he couldn't get back to sleep very easily now that the excitement had kicked in.

The excitement of being back at Hogwarts was exhilarating, especially being up so early with his Dad's cloak in the trunk at the foot of his bed. He wanted to visit someone, but wasn't sure exactly who. Scorpius and Emma would both probably be heavily asleep and would not want to be disturbed unless it was a dire emergency and besides, Albus didn't have the password to the Ravenclaw common room anyway. He couldn't get up to the girls' dormitories to wake Rose and Lily, and Hugo probably wouldn't want to be disturbed either, so as a consequence, he found himself alone.

He dressed quickly and pulled the invisibility cloak from the bottom of the trunk, slipping it on noiselessly after checking nobody was watching. Without glancing back, he left the dormitory.

The common room was empty and stiflingly warm so he crept through the portrait hole ("for heaven's sake, not the wind again") and out into the dark corridors. He liked the castle best when it was like this, quiet and rested.

After visiting all his favourite haunts he headed for the owlery to check if Zeus had settled in yet. He almost had a heart attack when he found someone else in there- Sophie Macmillan the Ravenclaw prefect was sat cross-legged on the floor stroking a little fat owl that had ringed marks around his eyes; not unlike the shape of Albus' own glasses.

"Hi," Sophie breathed, obviously not wanting to startle the owl. Albus had never spoken to her before but knew she was the best friend of Kate Jordan, the daughter of his Uncle George's business partner, Lee.

"Hi," Albus said uncertainly from the doorway. He glanced around nervously and noticed Zeus perched comfortably on one of the higher rafters beside Hera, Rose's tawny owl. Knowing that Zeus had settled well, Albus made to leave, but had only half-turned before Sophie called out to him.

"You're not going, are you?" she asked, peering up at him with wide blue eyes half hidden by a tangle of red hair.

"Well, I-" he gestured behind him with his hand listlessly, annoyed with himself.

"Albus, it's half four in the morning; you can't pretend you have somewhere to go," she smirked knowingly. "Sit."

Albus couldn't think of a clever way to decline so sat directly opposite her, trying to avoid the bird poo littering the floor. "How do you know my name?"

She laughed; a loud, ringing, echoing laugh that made several birds ruffle their feathers in annoyance and made Albus feel uncomfortable. It felt as if she were laughing at him.

"Of course I know your name," she said. "You're Harry Potter's son!"

"Oh, right," Albus said, his face colouring. He hated letting someone get the better of him like this, and he hated being known only because of his parentage. This girl was really starting to get on his nerves, and he'd only known her for two minutes.

"Do you know my name?" she asked, letting the owl fly back up to a perch near to Zeus.

"Sophie Macmillan. You're Kate's friend."

"That's me," she grinned and offered her hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you, Al."

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**A/N: **I really hoped you liked this; I want to do a good job of this one and I actually think I might finish it.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews of my previous chapter. This one continues on almost exactly a year after, in the summer holidays before Albus becomes a seventh year.  
By the way, although it mentions romance between Lily and Lysander, that's not who she ends up with. You can probably guess who.

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Chapter 1

_August 1__st__, 2020_

Albus read the letter from Roxanne again while munching on some toast his mum had quickly served him before kissing his forehead and running out to meet his grandmother, who had some crisis going on with laying the table for tonight, the annual 'welcome home for the summer' party she held for _all _the Weasleys (including the Longbottoms and Scamanders- the honorary Weasley family).

Roxanne was asking him if he would like to come and help at the shop some days over the summer as she had known he'd wanted a summer job and her dad was willing to pay. Albus weighed his options. Spending the summer in Diagon Alley, especially in Uncle George's joke shop, sounded promising but missing out on all the fun he could undoubtedly have elsewhere- not so tempting. He thought of a few more pros and cons and eventually decided against it; he could get a job _next_ summer- his pocket money wasn't so tight that he needed one right now.

In fact, he was just heading upstairs to fetch a parchment and quill to phrase a polite decline when he bumped into his dad.

"Morning!" Harry said brightly. "Where is everyone?" Harry always came down late to breakfast, not because he slept late but because he liked to get about an hour of paperwork in every morning as he said the morning sunlight streaming in through the upstairs office window gave him the willpower to struggle on.

"Mum went to help Grandma prepare for tonight, James is in his room and Lily is with either Lorcan or Lysander in the garden. They flooed over like an hour ago." Albus put a foot on the staircase to imply that he didn't have much time to talk; Harry remained oblivious.

"Oh, I see. The one she's... er… _involved_ with?" Harry's face, still quite young looking, had achieving the few lines he had by worrying about his children, and it looked as if a new one was forming.

"Is she?" He hadn't realised that Lily was dating- when had she got old enough?

"Oh, well… your mother mentioned that Lily liked one of the Scamander twins… I don't know if they're together." Harry shrugged, putting his hands in his jeans pockets and shoving his shoulders upwards, a nervous habit he had which had been inherited by James only.

"Oh. I didn't know," Albus said, affronted. He thought Lily told him everything- mind you, it wasn't like they ever had _time_ to talk anymore.

Harry mentally kicked himself. "Don't take offence- she didn't tell me either, and I'm her dad. So, what's that you've got there?" Talk about a lack of tact…

Albus looked down at the letter in his hand. He'd forgotten all about it. "Rox' sent me a letter this morning- Uncle George wants to offer me a summer job at the shop."

"Really? Wow! That's great! You've wanted a job for ages. You're accepting the invitation, then?" Harry asked, his eyes bright and excited.

"I- wasn't, actually," Albus said slowly, looking away from his father's eyes which were identical to his own.

Harry frowned. "Why?"

Albus paused.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Al'?"

"No, dad, I just think- I just want to have a fun summer, that's all."

"I see. Well," Harry grinned, "I think you should take it. The shop's going to be pretty- er- interestingly populated this summer- I think you'll enjoy yourself." Harry winked and patted him on the shoulder before making his way into the kitchen.

Albus stared after him for a minute, wondering what on earth he'd meant, then sighed and jogged up the stairs. In his room he wrote a letter to Roxy, and on following his father's advice, decided to take up the offer. After all, it was only a few hours a week with three full days off and he could quit anytime he wanted. What could possibly go wrong?

--

Albus was at Rose's when his mother flooed over to tell him to come home, right now, or they were going to be late. They'd been getting their homework out of the way; something they both liked to do rather than leave it until the day before they went back to school like the rest of their cousins.

"I thought we were going to the party together?" Rose said as she helped him gather his books back into his bulging rucksack. Her books remained scattered across the desk, which was large and covered in various paperback muggle novels that Rose had been given by her mother.

Albus picked one of the books and turned it over, reading the blurb. Pride and Prejudice. He shrugged. "I guess not. Is this any good?"

Rose took it from him and flicked through it, as if reminding herself of the story. "Very. It's mum's favourite Austen novel." She handed it back to him. "You can borrow it, if you like."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Scorpius would slaughter me."

Rose laughed. "Actually, he's already read it. Go on, take it for a summer read. You might need it when the shop is low on customers."

--

The Burrow was already full when the Potter's arrived, carrying bowls of salad and jelly and large crates of butterbeer. James was ambushed by Freddie and Greg Longbottom and dragged outside to find the brooms while invites to play were called out to those old enough by Dominique.

Albus, Rose and Emma Longbottom politely declined (Emma stared longingly after the players for a moment, however) and they went to sit outside beneath their favourite tree-

To find there were already two people sat underneath it. Kate Jordan and Sophie Macmillan were laughing heartily at something and clutching each other for support and Albus groaned. Sophie was exactly the person he did _not_ want to see.

"Hi, Kate, Sophie!" Rose called and she ran to hug them, Kate first, then Sophie. Emma followed suit shortly after, while Albus stood puzzled. He wasn't aware that Rose or Emma knew Sophie. They didn't even know Kate that well.

"Come and sit," said Kate. They were a year older than Albus; both now seventeen and able to use magic- their wands were lying beside them on the grass.

Emma and Rose sat immediately, Emma tugging Albus down with her as she whispered "just grin and bear it."

"Hi," mumbled Albus as he sat, suddenly feeling very outnumbered by the four girls, especially as Kate and Emma were so very much taller than him. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Stupid question; obviously they'd been invited and it would probably only offend…

Sophie laughed. "We were invited," she said simply.

Kate took the liberty to explain properly. "Your Uncle George mentioned we should come over and I invited Sophie- or rather," she nudged Sophie and giggled, "she actually begged me to come…"

Sophie blushed. "Shut _up_, Kate."

Emma and Rose exchanged a knowing glance and Albus sighed, feeling increasingly left out. Sometimes, he wondered if spending so much time with girls had a bad influence on him, and remembered Scorpius, heartily wishing he had invited him. On one of his free days from the shop- another thing that caused Albus to groan- he should invite him over. He was surprised at how accepting his mum and dad where about Scorpius; they seemed to really like him. Lily too got on with him quite well, although she always seemed to disappear when Scorpius was over. It was James who had the problem, really, and even that was small- now that he'd got to know him, James had actually begun to accept Scorpius too.

Albus came back to the present to find Sophie watching him and the other three girls immersed in conversation. He coughed loudly and stood. "I'm just- I- I think I'm going to play Quidditch with Dom and the others, okay?"

"Sure," Kate said and Rose watched him as he got up.

"I'll come back soon," he said.

She nodded. "See you later."

--

A game was in full swing when Albus reached the orchard so instead he sat and watched, admiring James' skill- he had been captain at school last year and had since been offered a position with the Wimbourne Wasps. Dom was good too; at school she played as a beater and was very aggressive with the bat, but here she was playing as a chaser and she wasn't half bad at that either. Greg was keeper and was truly dreadful; he kept dropping the ball. Freddie was a keeper for Dom's team and he was good; he'd played keeper for his final two years at school.

Albus often wondered why he'd never joined the team. He could play and wasn't exactly bad… but Lily and James were always so much better so he didn't really see the point. He was better at- Potions, really. His Dad often told him that his grandmother had been good at Potions, so he must have inherited it from her. He'd inherited a lot of things from his paternal grandmother Lily, it seemed. The bright green eyes, the quiet, reserved nature, the love for books… All except his looks, really. His looks were all from his dad and paternal grandfather, James. He did look a bit like his mum sometimes; his hair definitely had a bit of red in it in a certain light, but otherwise he was the mirror image of his dad, except for the scar. He didn't mind it, really, but he did mind the stares that he often got. It was annoying, coming from such a famous family. His mum was quite famous; primarily perhaps for being the woman lucky enough to marry Harry Potter, and then for her successful Quidditch career, and his uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were very famous too. He loved the stories of the war, of their travels through the countryside looking for Horcruxes- but it also made him feel he had a lot to live up to. He hadn't done anything brilliant yet- well, apart from making Gryffindor Prefect-and a lot of people in his family had already done that. James was funny, a Quidditch star _and_ he had loads of girls fawning over him. And he? He'd never even had one girlfriend. Not one.

He sighed and leaned back on his hands. What was so unappealing about him? Scorpius had _some_ attention- but he'd never dated anyone yet either. There had been a time when Albus had thought Scorpius liked Emma, but Scorpius had laughed. Scorpius would never confide in Albus exactly who he _did_ like though; just continually brushed it off by distracting him with something else. Albus had asked if it was Rose, but Scorpius had laughed again and said she was like a sister to him- anything more would be disgusting.

Rose had dated someone from the year above them a couple of years ago for about three months but they'd split up- she said it had got to the stage when neither of them could be bothered anymore. Albus didn't know if she liked anyone now; now that they were older, she told Emma that sort of stuff.

Emma was _very_ secretive about her affairs; only Rose knew and she had been sworn to secrecy for life. Albus suspected Freddie, but he wasn't sure. He didn't try to understand; the older girls got, the more complicated with it.

And then where did that leave him? It seemed like everyone else had some sort of secret or blossoming love- look at Lily and whichever twin she was into, and Teddy and Victoire who had been together for a while and where head over heels. He felt very suddenly and unexpectedly alone. Everyone seemed to be sorted out into their age or gender orientated groups, and seeing as his age group were all girls, he had no chance of feeling right there.

He looked up at the sun, which was low in the sky, casting out an orangey light and the wonderful haze of a summer night. His favourite season. Lily liked autumn and James loved spring- but Albus was a summer kind of guy. He loved the relaxed feel to it, the long nights and the bright, early mornings. The parties and the cold food and drink; his grandmother's famous (if only within their family) pumpkin juice iced lollies. Being able to wear just a t-shirt and shorts- he loved every aspect of it.

"You going to ignore us all the time?" a voice said and Albus span round. It was Sophie.

"Hi," she said brightly, sitting down beside him, mimicking his pose.

"Hello," he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"You're a mardy sod, aren't you?"

"E-excuse me?" Albus stuttered, pushing up his glasses as he blinked at her.

"I said, 'you're a mardy sod, aren't you?' You ought to check your hearing too; maybe it's not only your eyes that are on the blink."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, wishing he was old enough to apparate far, far away.

"Do you think Greg's in love with Dom?" she asked randomly.

"What? Er- I- I don't know." He looked at Greg, who was sloshing water at Dominique from his wand. "Maybe." He'd never thought about it, actually.

"I do. And you know what else I think?"

"No. But I suppose you're going to tell me."

"Too true. I think Emma's in love with you."

"Emma?" Albus spluttered, sitting up. "No way."

"Why? Aren't you interested?" Sophie had something, some emotion- maybe excitement, in her eyes- he didn't know.

"Of course not. She's my best friend, nothing more- that would be weird." He mimicked Scorpius' words, unsure if he meant them. He did, didn't he?

"You like her."

"I don't."

"You do."

He was getting really cheesed off now. "Why are you so _bothered_, anyway?"

She paused. "I'm not." She leaned back on her hands now, looking away from him.

"Yes, you are."

She looked at him, a supercilious expression on her face. "I'm not, okay?"

"Fine," he said, and shrugged, leaning back onto his elbows. She did the same. They stayed there, laid quietly for a moment, each thinking about different things.

"Oh, it's dinner by the way," she said, and jumped to her feet. She yelled "DINNER!" at the others playing Quidditch and then looked down at Albus, grinning. "I'll race you there," she said, and with that she was off, running down the hill to the garden.

Albus stood slowly and watched her go. He racked his brains- no, he was right; he'd never met anyone as strange as her. Not even his aunt Luna.

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**A/N: **I hope you liked it, I'd really, _really _appreciate a review.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews so far. I hope you like this chapter.

Oh, also, I've created a new forum, The Harry Potter Fanfiction Oscars forum, where you can nominate people for their work. Check it out if you like, it's under the Forums bit on my profile.

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Chapter 2

_August 3__rd__, 2020_

Albus was annoyed to find himself being woken at six in the morning on the first Monday off by his mother, who was half asleep herself; her hair an unkempt mess of red that clashed so well with her green and yellow checked pyjamas. He couldn't believe he had to start work at the shop this soon- he'd expected at least a week or so of free time before he had to join the ranks of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He struggled out of bed and dressed in the purple uniform Ginny had left at the foot of his bed. _Purple_, he thought in annoyance. _Fantastic_.

His mum was sat at the table when he came downstairs, sipping coffee and looking tired. She laughed out loud when she saw him. "Oh Al, don't you look ridiculous! I told George those uniforms would look ludicrous on men- mind you, at least they're not gold, like they used to be… Shall I fix the colour for you?" She asked, picking her wand up from the kitchen table.

"No, it's okay. It is the uniform after all; I'd better wear it as it comes." He shrugged and sat down while she stifled another laugh with a loud cough and flicked her wand at the oven, which had a frying pan on top. The frying pan came to the table and she scooped the two fried eggs onto Albus' waiting plate.

"Your favourite," she smiled. "I thought you'd need some good food in you today."

"Thanks, mum." He did his best to smile back and tucked in, trying to push away the feelings of foreboding and dread. It wasn't that he didn't want to work there- he just didn't like the idea of spending all summer selling joke products when he could be elsewhere, having fun like every other summer holiday.

"Al- it's not going to be as bad as you think, you know," Ginny said, taking his hand from across the table and gripping it tightly. "Who knows, you might really enjoy yourself- and besides, you need the experience for when you leave Hogwarts. Look at James- if it wasn't for Quidditch I don't think he'd have a clue right now. At least you'll be able to cancel out shop work from your list," she said, with a half-smile.

He nodded. "I know- I just can't be bothered, I guess. I suppose I'm too used to my routines- working in a shop all summer isn't one of which."

"Honestly, Al, if I wasn't going to think you'd have fun then I wouldn't let you go. But I think you are. You just need to go along and put up with it for at least a week, okay? After that, you can quit whenever you like. So what time do you get back tonight?"

"I've got a break from one 'til half two and then I finish at five, I think. Uncle George said he'd manage without me after then, and soon we'll be starting up a rota- I think there are another couple of kids working there too." Albus said, eating the last mouthful of fried egg and pouring himself some pumpkin juice from the jug on the table. He checked his watch. _Almost time to go_...

"Yeah, there are. And Roxy will be there most days, probably with Molly, so it's not like you aren't going to know anybody. It'll be great."

--

As Albus threw the floo powder into the fire, watching it change colour, he did not feel 'great'. He felt nervous and tired, but he pretended to be excited as he called bye to his mum, who wished him luck, and stepped into the fireplace, calling "Diagon Alley!"

The busyness of Diagon Alley always took him by surprise, no matter how many times he visited. He looked longingly in the direction of the bookshop Flourish and Blotts, but carried on regardless, heading in the direction of WWW.

A little bell rang as he came into the shop- it was not yet open for business but there was a note on the front saying "Any speccy four eyes have hitherto permission of entrance, namely one Albus Severus Potter." He rolled his eyes. Probably Roxy's idea of a joke.

Thankfully, it was his aunt Angelina that came into the shop while tying her hair up. On noticing him, she grinned widely. "Albus, just the person I was hoping to see. How are you?"

She came over and placed a hand on each shoulder, peering into his face. "You've grown. You must have grown. How old are you now? Sixteen. And handsome- you look just like your father did at your age."

Albus laughed nervously."I'm fine, thanks. How's the shop going? Do you even need me here or shall I-"

"Shut up and come on into the back room, Al. Of course we need you, unless you don't want to, of course. Because you don't have to." She looked at him, her dark brown eyes penetrating his bright green ones.

"It's okay- I want to work here. Everyone keeps telling me how fun it is…"

"It sure is. So, today I'll probably just find someone to show you the ropes, in fact, I know just the person- I think they'll be here soon, in the mean time, shall we have a nice cup of tea?"

Albus accepted and they headed upstairs to the small apartment that George used to live in with Fred a long time ago. Now, it was really only used if someone couldn't get home from the shop and for tea and coffee breaks. George and Angelina lived in a large house in Devon and apparated here every morning when their kids were at school, otherwise only one would come in, the other staying to make sure that the children were okay. Now that Freddie and Roxy were older, though, Angelina and George could come in whenever.

"Where's Uncle George?"

"Al, we've told you. Please call us George and Angelina- we hate those silly prefixes that so many of you keep using."

"Okay- Angelina."

"He's in his inventing room- apparently he's thought of something brilliant that Hogwarts students can take back to school with them this next year, so I left him to it," she said, pouring him some tea.

"Thanks," he said, sliding the mug across the desk. It was chipped in several places and bore the label "Magical Mug". Albus almost laughed- but his mood was far too gloomy for that.

"So you'll be coming in tomorrow, but not Wednesday, Thursday, but not Friday, and not Saturday and Sunday either, right?"

"I thought I did come in on Wednesday?"

"Albus", Angelina smiled, looking over the rim of her mug. "I'm dropping you a big hint here. Did I really say you ought to come in on Wednesday?"

Albus finally caught on. "Oh, right, no, my mistake, sorry."

Angelina grinned. "That's what I thought. I know Roxy's working on Wednesday with Molly- I've tried to match you all up with friends. I know it's easier to be in a team with people you know and like- I remember when I was on the Quidditch team with your father; we were a really close-knit team. Me, Alicia, you know, Lee's wife- he should be coming in today, actually- Katie- that's Oliver Wood's wife, I suppose you'll know their daughter Isabelle, of course? Victoire's friend? Yes, we were the chasers- and if you don't mind me saying so we were superb. Then there was Oliver, the keeper, and of course, ah, Fred and George, the best beaters ever to play for Hogwarts, I think. And then your dad, the youngest seeker in a century, and the best since your uncle Charlie."

"My dad swallowed the snitch on his first play, right?"

"He did, yes," Angelina laughed, sighing nostalgically. "Are you any good at Quidditch?"

Albus shrugged. "I'm okay. Not as good as James or Lily, though- I didn't try out for the team. I do like to watch it; I've been to enough of my mum's games that I've had to, really."

"I can imagine. Quidditch is very much in your blood." She checked her watch, which had a little Quaffle soaring round as the minute hand and hoops for the prominent hours.

"Apt watch."

She smiled. "Yes. Are you ready to get going?"

Albus nodded and gave a strained smile. "As I'll ever be."

--

"Where are Roxy and Freddie, anyway?" asked Albus, after Angelina had shown him how to work the cash register.

"Freddie is in bed, probably, or out with your brother, maybe? Roxy had Molly sleep over last night so Merlin knows what they're doing. Making breakfast? Having a wild house party? Your guess is as good as mine," she said, a soft smile playing about her lips. "They're growing up so fast."

Albus laughed awkwardly. "When are Molly and Roxy due here?"

"Oh, Molly and Roxy aren't coming today, today we have-"

At that precise moment, Lee Jordan walked into the shop with his daughter Kate and behind them- Albus' heart sank- Sophie Macmillan. Kate and Sophie were both wearing purple robes like Albus', and when Kate noticed Albus she grinned and waved.

"Lee!" Angelina called. "Come upstairs, George is desperate to show you something," she said, running forwards and grabbing his arm. "We'll just be a minute Al- Sophie, Kate, why don't you continue my tour?"

And so it was- Albus was left alone with them. He almost ran from the shop- but decided against it because of how nice Angelina had been.

"Hi, Al," Kate said. "Fun party on Sunday, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it really was." He smiled. Kate was a genuinely nice person- very easy to warm to, once you'd got to know her- which Albus had, at the party. He turned to Sophie. "What are you doing here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Rude. I'm staying at Kate's for the summer- or most of it, anyway, so I'm helping out here. Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all," he said quickly, groaning inwardly. The _whole_ summer… he sighed. "So what have I got to do, Kate?"

"I think you'll just be working on the shop floor, advising customers to buy, obviously, manning the tills and such like. It's fun- don't worry, otherwise I wouldn't be here." She smiled. "We'll have a lot of fun this summer, I think. Sophie and I usually go for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron to see Emma, don't we, Soph? You can come with us, if you like."

Sophie was still eyeing Albus up and down, one thin eyebrow raised. She was slightly shorter than Albus, but acted as if she was taller than everyone in how she carried herself. Yet another thing about her that annoyed him.

"Soph?" Kate prompted, nudging her friend in the side.

"Oh, right, yeah. That'd be… great."

--

Albus trailed behind Sophie and Kate on the way to the Leaky Cauldron; they whispered and giggled the whole way there, linking arms in that unfathomable way that all girls did. Even Rose and Lily did, sometimes. Albus just thought it was odd.

In the Leaky Cauldron they found that Emma wasn't there- at Rose's, so they ordered and sat at a table of three in a corner. When Albus' pasta salad finally arrived he was glad of it- it was an excuse not to talk.

Sophie didn't seem to think the same- instead she sprayed food all over as she insisted on explaining the outfit she'd just bought, going through every little detail from the colour scheme to what hairstyle it would best suit.

Kate listened intently, offering tips and oohing and aahing at the perfect moments. She even began to describe one of her own, similar outfits, before Sophie interjected.

"Albus, I'm sorry, we must be really boring you. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

He looked up from his salad, a piece of lettuce hanging from the side of his mouth. He brushed it away quickly. "I- er- no. You're not boring me- carry on, I don't mind."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely." Albus grinned. "I'm the perfect listener."

Kate smiled. "That's not something you hear everyday from a boy."

Albus shrugged. "I'm not a-"

"Boy!" Sophie interjected quickly, sending her and Kate into fits of giggles.

Albus frowned at her. "I was _going_ to say I'm not an _average_ boy, actually."

"Whatever, _Ally_," Sophie giggled, sticking her tongue out at him before taking a drink of her iced Pumpkin Juice. She turned to Kate. "Shall we go now? Don't want to be late back."

Kate nodded and stood with Sophie. "You coming, Al?"

"Yeah." He said heavily. He got up and following them out of the pub, all the way shooting glares at Sophie's back and thinking up different ways to hex her, if only he was of Age.

--

At dinner that night, his parents insisted on hearing every detail of his day, so he explained it laboriously, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. When he'd finally finished his treacle tart, he excused himself and headed upstairs to his bedroom, where he sat at his desk and stared gloomily out of the window.

Only two minutes had passed before Lily came in, shutting his bedroom door with a soft click. He didn't bother to turn to her, he knew she'd come and climb onto his desk so that she could sit on the window ledge, which she did.

"You hated it, didn't you?"

He looked up at her, feeling it was pointless to lie. "Yes."

"Why?" She had an ice cream cone and was licking it slowly with her pointy tongue. For a moment, she looked so much like his Mum it was weird.

He sighed. "The work was fine- I just wasn't- stretched. I know now that I can cancel out working there when I leave. I want to do something that requires brainpower, Lily. Not just telling someone the price and putting objects into bags."

"That's not the real reason, though, is it?" Lily asked, flicking her eyes in his direction before licking her ice cream again. "Sophie Macmillan was there."

"What? How did you know?" That was the only detail he'd left out of his description- that Sophie Macmillan had been there, was working the same days as him and was absolutely foul to work with. "I mean- so?"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I know because I'm Rose's friend, who knows because she's Sophie's friend."

"Since when are Rose and Sophie '_friends'_? I really don't get this." Albus scowled. Why was Lily so- _informed_?

"Al, we're not talking about Rose and Sophie's friendship. Why does Sophie annoy you so much?"

"She's just… so… argh."

"So argh." Lily raised an eyebrow again. "I see. Well, that's cleared that up…"

"Oh, shut up. She's just, annoying. She makes fun of me and deliberately aggravates me."

"Sorry- how old are you, Al?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not filling the whole supportive sister role very well here, Lil'."

"Fine, fine." She laughed. "I like her; she's a laugh."

"Oh sure, when she's not making fun of you. It's not funny when _you're_ the one being picked on." He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "She's just really immature."

Lily shrugged. "Then I guess you quit."

"I can't quit." Albus picked up Pride and Prejudice from his desk and flipped through it, distracting himself.

"Why?"

Again with the annoying questions. "I can't let her win. I have to stay and prove to her that she doesn't annoy me, she's just annoying me to try and put me off of working there so she can have Kate to herself- I'll show her."

"You're so melodramatic. Well, seeing as you don't want to quit," she swung her legs from the window and onto the desk, from which she jumped to the floor, surprisingly not spilling any of her melting ice cream onto the blue carpet. "You'll just have to put up with her."

And that was exactly Albus' problem.


End file.
